When it comes to environmental issues, Californians have more faith in Obama than Romney, finds survey

With presidential candidates warming up for the final showdown, Californians are focusing on an issue close to their hearts: the state of the environment.

Photo by Flickr user Vlasta2Smog hangs low over the city Los Angeles. Two thirds of Californians believe air pollution is a serious environmental problem that needs to be tackled right away.

Seven in 10 California voters say candidates’ positions on global warming are important in determining their vote, according to a recent survey by Public Policy Institute of California. The report, PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and the Environment, surveyed 2,500 residents about the upcoming presidential election, the government’s… more

Photo byCameron StrandbergPine trees that are killed off by beetles are like ticking firebombs, just waiting for one strike of dry lightning in a drought stricken area.

What do all of these things have in common? They are the tangible effects of climate change, scientists say, rather timidly. Even the recent rash of wildfires across western states, which have fire crews and residents scrambling to identify causes, can list global warming as a ‘fuel.’

In 2011 America’s Beaches Saw the Third-Highest Number of Closing and Advisory Days in Over Two Decades

As a kid, summer meant one thing to me: long, lazy days at Hampton Beach in Rockingham, New Hampshire. Luckily for me, Hampton Beach consistently scores well on beach water quality reports. Unfortunately for others, many popular beaches across the US don't fare as well.

Photo by Tony AlterHuntington Beach, CA. One of the 12 beaches that received a five star rating from NRDC.

The Natural Resources Defense Council’s annual beach water quality report, released today, finds that stormwater runoff and sewage pollution still plagues most US beach waters and the Great Lakes. The report, titled Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at… more

Critics Say Highway Could be a Trojan Horse for Moving Natural Gas or Tar Sands Oil

If you build it, they will come.

That seems to be the logic behind a new proposal to build a highway connecting eastern seaports in Maine with major highways in northwestern Canada. Although the idea is by no means new, the approach, as outlined in a feasibility study titled Northeast CanAm Connections: Integrating the Economy and Transportation, is unusual. Cianbro Corporation, its biggest proponent, thinks a corridor funded by private investors could stimulate the weak Maine economy and make the state’s coast a key import-export hub.

Photo courtesy WLBZ 2 NewsThe proposed 220 mile, four-lane highway would connect Calais on the seaboard in Main with Corburn… more

As Urbanization Increases So Does Amount of Garbage

Golfers out for a relaxed game at Park Ridge Golf Course in Palm Springs might be surprised to learn that they are teeing off on an old landfill. Underneath them and a thick blanket of sod rests the refuse of the city. The trash is out of sight and out of mind.

Photo by Flicker user karlhansAn open landfill in Mandaue City, the Philippines. The cost of managing waste will be the highest in lower-income countries where population growth is high.

Inhabitants of cities in poorer countries are often not so lucky — the landfill may be an open air “city dump”… more